Weekend days in our house often involve a nice brunch that is hearty but simple to make. My husband loves eggs and loves anything TexMex done to eggs. I love using up leftovers that are hanging out in the house waiting to go bad. Combine these facts with a lonely jar of tomatillo salsa in the pantry and this morning’s brunch was born. The desire to poach eggs in something other than water has been building lately as it seems like every cooking show I watch they have been poaching eggs in tomato sauce. The tomato sauce poached egg idea did not appeal to the husband but I knew this would.

So I had one and half cups of black beans as well as some rice leftover from dinner a few days ago and have to say they are the ideal accompaniment to the salsa verde poached eggs. The tangy tomatillo goes so nice with the rich flavor of the black beans and the nutty brown rice, heaven in a tortilla. While the avocado may look like it’s just a pretty garnish the mellow buttery flavor of the avocado was a nice addition to the plate, you could also add some sliced onion or diced tomato depending on what’s in the fridge. This is a very easy recipe to make and the salsa verde poached egg is a totally traditional dish in Mexican and TexMex restaurants everywhere. I can’t think of a breakfast place around me that would serve this dish for less than $8 per plate plus tip but the good news is at home it so much less expensive I don’t think I spent $3 a plate, do we count the cost of the leftovers??
4 eggs

Start by pouring the whole jar of salsa into a frying pan that is big enough to accommodate 4 eggs. Turn the stove up to medium bring to a soft boil and turn down to high simmer. While the salsa heats re-heat your beans and rice and get your plates ready, this is going to go quick. Crack the eggs into a coffee cup before sliding them into the hot salsa. The coffee cup is a nice way to move the cracked eggs into the pan without accidentally breaking the yolks or getting any shell into your salsa. Once all four eggs are in the pan cover and let them simmer for about five minutes. Feel free to check them about half way to be sure they are cooking nicely, you can even spoon some hot salsa over the yolks to help them firm up. Remove the pan from the heat when the eggs are about 90% of the doneness you want. The residual heat in the sauce will finish them as you get them to the plates.

Scoop the eggs with a generous amount of salsa on to the plates and garnish with the cilantro and avocado. You can bring any extra salsa to the table in a bowl if someone is like me and wants to drown their rice with it. The best part of this meal might be wiping the plate clean with your tortilla after you have eaten all the beans and eggs. So good.